


Influenced

by Sakura_Lawliet



Series: Collateral Damage [2]
Category: Banana Bus Squad, H2OVanoss - Fandom
Genre: Death, Friendship, Friendship based story, Horror, M/M, Platonic Love, Romantic love, Slow Burn, Tragedy, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-04-26 04:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14394495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakura_Lawliet/pseuds/Sakura_Lawliet
Summary: When one has lost everything, nothing else matters. When one watches the love of their life die, having others experience the same really doesn't bother the conscious. When one wants to bring back to life something lost, they won't stop until they have accomplished something.Those broken along the way are only collateral damage.





	1. Warning

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Youtube (obviously) or any of its users. I especially do not own Delirious, CaRtOoNz, Vanoss, I AM WILDCAT, nor any other YouTuber mentioned in this writing piece; they are all owners of their own being. I only take credit for the plot, story - and further down the road - any and all _original characters_ that may pop in and out along the way. Neither do I gain any profit from this writing piece.
> 
> **WARNING(S):** Please read and take note of tags. Be cautious and _always_ read with discretion, no matter the story!
> 
> **ADDITIONAL NOTE(S):** The rating and tags of this story may change as it continues. As new chapters are added, more tags may also be added, so please make sure you are aware of such tags while engaged with this story.
> 
> And of course, this story is a sort of sequel to another work I have written and posted called, _Monster_ , which is a Septiplier Tragedy. However, you do not have to read _Monster_ in order to understand _Influenced_.
> 
> Influenced _has a rewrite/heavy edit coming in it's near future - so beware!_

One warning was when everything in his home wasn't turning back on. His power wasn't working, which wasn't such a surprise for his Carolina location where hurricanes were often a thing to think and be conscious about. But he was even more confused when he didn't even have service for his phone.

Another warning was when he heard the noise of people frantically talking and leaving in their cars as he sat alone in his suddenly very quiet home.

His third warning was the screaming, but he was too scared to even try to see what was going on, so he hid away in his room like the coward he always thought he was.

And so, when he was harshly woken up from his afternoon nap by the rough pounding on his front door he wasn't surprised by the anxious feelings swelling in his chest.

Because something just wasn't right at this point.

His relief was an understatement when he opened the door to his best friend, even though the elder was pushing through him in haste. Jonathan watched in confusion as his best friend literally barged himself into his home, closing the door behind and locking it as he turned back to Jonathan with heavy breaths.

Luke's face was a mixture of calm panic and slight anger, the latter directed more towards Jonathan. "What are you doing lazing around?" He demanded. It was then Jonathan noticed the backpack hanging from Luke's hand limbly.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Jonathan asked confused.

Luke frowned, not very pleased with Jonathan's laidback attitude when serious things were happening. "Everything is going to shit, and we need to leave. Now. So go gather your crap, do it quickly."

"Wait, wha-"

"Now, Jon!" Jonathan was instantly hasty with his feet as he turned to go to his room with Luke on his heels.

"Listen, pick things easy to move around and fight in." Jonathan knew Luke was talking about clothing, but Jonathan was alerted when the younger mentioned fighting.

Jonathan didn't really comment on it though, as he continued to pull out all of his wardrobe and pile it all on his bed to make it easier to card through.

"Pack light, or you'll tire yourself out easier with so many heavy things." Luke commented, also rummaging through Jonathan's small, but cluttered closet.

"What's going on, Luke?" Jonathan tried once more, making Luke pause in thought with a conflicted expression before he continued moving through Jonathan's things at a more slower pace.

"It's so stupid." Luke started, "It's something that you would think only happen in the movies, video games... You would think it's impossible, but apparently anything is possible..." Luke stopped, before looking over at Jonathan, "Jon, it's the apocalypse."

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "What? Is this a joke, Lu-"

"I thought the same as well, Jon, but do you really think I would come all the way over with all my shit, if I wanted to mess with you over something as stupid as an apocalypse?"

Jonathan bit his lower lip. "What the fuck, Luke?"

Luke pulled out a backpack from the bottom of Jonathan's disastrous closet and shoved it into its owner's arms with a thud and a grunt from the man. Luke held his hand to Jonathan's chest with the backpack separating contact as he stared with serious eyes into Jonathan's mixed feeling, stormy blue orbs. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in... but we'll make it through this together. We always make it through, okay?"

Jonathan nodded silently.

Luke forced a smile, "I have an extra bag for gathering the food you might have in your kitchen that we can take with us. Stuff your clothes into this one and find anything you may have for weapons in here." Jonathan nodded again as Luke gave a nod back before he turned and left to go to the kitchen.

Jonathan stood still for a good few moments as he got lost in his whirlwind of thoughts and inner conflicts. Jonathan just couldn't believe that he was in the beginning of a fucking apocalypse.

Jonathan shook his head, as he turned back to his mountain of clothes to get to work on absentmindedly.

What the hell was his life coming to?

When he was done packing, he searched his bedside night table drawers for that pocket knife Luke gave him for his birthday about two years back. Who knew it would come in handy now?

After that, Jonathan spotted his bathroom, and on the spur of the moment, he went into it to raid his medicine cabinets, finding an almost empty bottle of Aspirin, and about a half bottle of both Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Jonathan was pretty prone to headaches so he made a lot of trips to the pharmacist to keep these medicines in stock at his home. That and for when Luke stays over after having one too many drinks and finds himself with a hangover the next morning. Jonathan stuffed the bottles into his bag as well.

Looking back at his bedroom, one with pale blue walls and dark navy curtains, a bed with royal blue sheets, and a black comforter for winter nights. Jonathan felt everything was too surreal as he finally tuned back into reality and realized he was leaving all this behind.

His home, his games, his friends... his life.

He won't be able to return and even if he could, there's a sliver of a chance that everyone else would be back as well.

This was all just... so crazy. There's a chance this could all be some fucked up dream, and Jonathan really hoped that's all this was.

Luke must have picked up on Jonathan's gloomy thoughts because when the younger male walked into the kitchen, he was sighing. "It is kind of depressing isn't it?" Luke started as Jonathan sat at his small dining table. Although it wasn't really directed at Jonathan, it was more rhetorical as Luke pondered his own thoughts.

"What about everyone else?" Jonathan added. "This all feels so fake..."

Luke sat across from Jonathan with a somber expression. "I wish it was fake. This all seems too stupid to be real. Like an apocalypse? Really? What's the chance this is only some really fucked up nightmare?" And there Luke was, voicing all of Jonathan's inner thoughts like he usually did.

"A huge chance." Jonathan chimed in hoping that it was true. The sullen atmosphere brought many deep considerations. "Where do we go?" Jonathan asked.

Luke shrugged, "I would head west? Maybe we can find an abandoned farm or something?" Luke frowned, "We just need to keep moving until we find somewhere we can sustain ourselves and trust our security without going crazy."

Jonathan nodded dazedly, just going with the flow.

What he really wanted was to play some games. He wish he could have had a chance to say goodbye to his online life at least. It was all he had besides Luke, and maybe now he sort of regrets not telling them, his subscribers, more than enough times how much he appreciated them. And his friends.

And boy was he anxious of their whereabouts. Were they okay? Were they just as lost as he was?

At least, from what Jonathan's learned over the years, Luke was a more calm and collected sort of panic. Jonathan was a person who sort of followed, he fed on Luke's aura more than Jonathan could bring himself to admit. If Luke was angry, Jonathan was angry. If Luke was panicked, Jonathan was panicked. If Luke was calm, if he was okay, than Jonathan was the same.

Although, when playing games with everyone else, it was a little different. He showed more of himself, mostly because the atmosphere was just him listening to laughing, to voices in his headphones. The more they reacted to him, the more that Jonathan knew he wasn't imagining it all. The more they laughed with him, at him, the more he could tell himself he wasn't dreaming his happiness up.

But now... now he was back to just him and Luke, it seems. And he was grateful he still had Luke. Luke was always there for him, and now it looks like Luke always will be.

But Jonathan wonders about everyone else. Were they like Luke? Or are they more of a scream and run person? Jonathan knows that without Luke, he would still be holed up in his room, bundled underneath the covers. He wouldn't have moved from his little place, even if he ran out of food. He would just waste away, and would have allowed himself too.

Jonathan never had a strong appetite anyway, but he ate, if only for Luke's peace of mind. If Luke noticed the slightest weight loss in Jonathan, Luke would make sure to lecture him for hours at a time, and fatten him up all the while.

Jonathan felt his fingers lightly scrape against the inside of his left wrist. He mindlessly rubbed at the delicate skin as he got lost in his thoughts, a habit he's acquired over the years.

Luke placed a hand over Jonathan's, stopping the younger blue-eyed male's movements as he focused back on him. "We need to go, now."

Jonathan bit his lip and nodded silently as he watched Luke stand up. Jonathan stood up as well, looking over his kitchen once more. Luke was in the doorway leading to the entrance hall as he looked back at Jonathan. He gave a forced smile, "Go on, make a quick last look for memories and anything we may be missing." He complied, reaching out to grab Jonathan's wrist to drag him around the corner.

And here they were, looking around Jonathan's room and conjoined office one last time. The different shaded blue room giving a more somber attitude to their already put down feelings.

Jonathan moved to his computer desk, laying down his hand on the corner of it, as Luke walked past him to Jonathan's shelf full of his H20 Delirious logo merchandise and even favorite pieces of fanart that he printed out and framed. Jonathan sighed as he stared blankly into his black computer screen with equally blank thoughts as he felt his heart weigh heavy in his chest.

Until he was snapped back to reality as Luke shoved something into his face, and Jonathan felt a band of sorts wrap around the back of his head. Jonathan blinked a couple times before he focused on Luke grinning at him through little holes in whatever covered his face.

"I swear," Luke started, while Jonathan ran a hand over the mask on his face, "You are the most idiotic person I've ever known. You always try to act tough and shit, but you really aren't. If anyone knows, like I do, you enjoy your sentimental crap, so why they hell isn't any of this stuff packed?" Luke slapped more paper in Jonathan's opened hand, and when Jonathan observed them, he recognized them as the fanart of him and his friends that he had framed on the shelf.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Jonathan murmured, his breath hot against the inside of the hockey mask Luke shoved onto his person. The same mask he remembered Luke passing on to him as a gift from Evan when Luke attended E3 for himself and to fill in Jonathan's place as well.

"Fuck you." Luke rolled his eyes, looking down at the pictures as well. "You know, if you wanted to have pictures of everyone, you could have came to E3 last time instead of using fanart with you in them so you could use it as an excuse to have on your wall." Jonathan gripped the pictures tightly.

"Yeah..." Jonathan rasped, "I was being stupid, huh? Lost all my chances to see them now..." He trailed off, stuffing the images into his pockets.

"Hey, don't be like that. I know they understand, you should as well."

Jonathan scoffed at himself, "Yeah, but I don't."

Luke gave him a confused expression, "What? Wait, you don't understand? What the hell does that mean?"

Jonathan fixed the position of his mask, "It doesn't matter," he said leaving the room with Luke right behind him, "Let's just go."

Luke frowned, but picked up the backpack full of Jonathan's kitchen raid as they left the front door. Luke motioned to his car in Jonathan's driveway, "We'll take the highway out of here. I have about a gallon more in my trunk, which isn't much, but better than nothing."

Jonathan slid into the passenger seat, "You have everything, right Luke?" He asked, glancing at the older male climbing into the driver's seat. "You remembered a can opener at least, right? You know, for all the canned shit you grabbed," Jonathan turned his head to the window as he watched the scenery move with Luke's car pulling away from everything.

"You think I'm stupid? Of course I got one." Luke bit out.

"Great." Jonathan muttered as he watched his home disappear from sight with murky ocean blues and a sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Sixth of January, 2018.
> 
> Currently, I have six pieces of this story already written out - however, these chapters have already been updated onto Fanfiction and Wattpad if desired to be read before being posted onto this site. I will post a new chapter every three days until my backup pile has expired.
> 
> Be aware that this is indeed a slow burn story and will therefore be a long ride; I may not be the best of writers, but I hope you enjoy if you decide to stay.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	2. Un(Lucky)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Do you think we're lucky or unlucky still being alive?"_
> 
> _Luke gave him a glance that clearly said he was angry, "Of course we're lucky."_
> 
> _Jonathan was silent, fingers fiddling in his lap._

Jonathan was absolutely terrified by how quickly the world just spiraled into shit. There was fire and destruction everywhere, and he just couldn't understand. He couldn't comprehend anything as he watched everything pass by in a blur of motion, glancing over at Luke's stoic face to ground himself occasionally. Jonathan could feel his fingers twitching and trembling slightly in his lap as he fiddled with the flimsy papers that were his pictures, trying to calm the storm inside his head. His breath was almost unbearably hot in the mask he wore, but he didn't dare to take it off.

It was stupid, but it made him feel just a bit safer, just a bit more distanced from the pain and destruction that fell around him. It made him feel safer knowing others couldn't read the panic and fear on his face. He stared down at the photos in his hands, his fingers still worry their edges as he tried to forget everything that was happening and just focus on the crazy fanart depicting him and a great many of his friends.

It wasn't until Luke was placing a hand on Jonathan's knee that the younger looked up to take back in the reality they both shared. Jonathan shivered as he watched burnt remains of buildings, of homes, and bloodied corpses pass by, turning his attention to Luke, who had pinched features as if holding many emotions at bay.

"Who would have thought?" Jonathan found himself murmuring, watching Luke glancing at him in slight surprise at his sudden voice before going back to the road. Jonathan looked to the time display on Luke's radio and deflated, "Right now I would have been playing a game with the guys..."

Luke patted his knee, hand not moving away just yet, "We shouldn't think about the past," the older man said softly, "We aren't ready for that yet."

Jonathan smiled bitterly from underneath his mask, "You're right."

Many hours passed, Jonathan having fallen asleep a few times during the lull in conversation. Luke was very tired, Jonathan could tell from his blank expression, but the male would never admit it. Luke always tried to seem the more reliable person, even when he was troubled as well.

Jonathan cleared his throat, "How long has it been?" He noticed the darkened skies, and the blinking stars. Jonathan must have slept longer than he realized.

"About an hour and a half." Luke murmured.

"Oh," Jonathan looked down, "How's the gas?"

"We're almost out."

Jonathan felt a shiver of fear run down his spine as he turned to gaze out the window, watching as the car's headlights cut through the darkness, "Where are we?"

"There was some road signs that said we're nearing Cleveland."

"In Carolina?" Jonathan asked confused, never before hearing of a Cleveland in his home state.

"No, we entered into Tennessee about an hour ago."

Jonathan paused, "Oh." He watched as they passed by an abandoned car in the middle of the highway, headlights glinting off the metal which had caught Jonathan's attention. His heart sink just a bit more. "Do you think we're lucky or unlucky still being alive?"

Luke gave him a glance that clearly said he was angry, "Of course we're lucky."

Jonathan was silent, fingers fiddling in his lap.

"Just because everything is falling apart, does not mean we should as well. We see all these abandoned cars, and abandoned places, but does it really mean anything?" Luke stared at the road with a slight frown and steely voice. "We haven't seen any of those... creatures yet, and yes, we haven't seen any people either, but they could be hiding."

Nails bit into Jonathan's skin as he dug into his fingers with his fidgeting; scraping and abrading away at his fingernails. "Luke-"

"Stop thinking negatively," Luke said more softly, losing his biting tone. "I feel lucky that I'm not alone, I have my best friend with me. It's more than I could have asked for."

Jonathan smiled, "Flatterer," he accused.

Luke rolled his eyes, giving a glance to Jonathan before grinning, "I'm a smooth talker."

"Same thing."

"Not at all..." Luke frowned, eyebrows furrowed with a confused expression. Jonathan followed Luke's line of sight after he felt the car start to slow down considerably.

An accident must have happened, Luke's headlights reflecting off many cars that laid in the road. Some were completely destroyed or underneath another. There was no way around the blockage, the road was cut off entirely.

"Fuck," Jonathan commented, worry surging through his body.

"It's fine," Luke said, as they came to a stop, "We can turn around and take the exit we saw a little ways back."

Jonathan nodded as Luke reversed, but his eyes continued to stay on the wreckage. Luke put the car into drive and Jonathan had finally pulled his gaze away from the pile up to look through the windshield when the car made a sputtering noise and came to a stop. Jonathan froze, saliva drying in his mouth as he swallowed in fearful realization.

There was absolute silence as they stayed still until Luke tried to restart the car. The engine made a noise before falling silent as well. Luke took a deep breath as he leaned back in his seat. Head turned to the ceiling, Luke let his breath out slowly.

"Bad luck?" Jonathan tried with a meek voice.

Luke chuckled hollowly, "Yeah, bad luck."

Jonathan shifted in his seat, staring into the black abyss of the night. "What time is it?"

"About 12:40."

"It's really dark out." Jonathan stated.

"Well," Luke said slightly amused, "It is nighttime."

"Yeah..." Jonathan frowned, staring at the road that they already traveled. The headlights were no longer on and the road was engulfed by the night, seeming like it wasn't even there.

A hand on his knee, brought Jonathan back to Luke who was obviously forcing a smile. "We can stay in the car for tonight, tomorrow we'll continue on, alright?"

Jonathan nodded and Luke patted his knee a few times before pulling it back. Luke used a flashlight he grabbed from the dash in front of Jonathan's seat to reach into the back, grabbing one of his bags to open and pull out some blankets from. He repositioned himself back into his seat, shoving a fluffy one into Jonathan's lap.

"Here, get some rest."

"Sure," he murmured, moving his blanket to a more comfortable position and going to adjust his seat before he remembered that the car wasn't on. He frowned, but Luke shifted in his seat which caught his attention. Luke was moving things from the back seat onto the floor.

"There you go," Luke said when he was done. "Sleep on the back seat, it'll be more comfortable."

Jonathan frowned, "What about you?"

"Tonight you have the backseat and the next time we're in a situation like this, you can have the uncomfortable option, okay?" Luke proposed, "Tonight you sleep in the back."

Jonathan knew Luke wouldn't back down any, he was a stubborn man, so Jonathan threw his blanket into the back seat, "Fine," he grumbled, following after his blanket to the back seat. He squirmed and squeezed himself between the two front seats, and was relieved by the nice feeling of stretching out his legs in the back when he succeeded. Jonathan sighed as he cuddled up with his blanket in the backseat.

Jonathan woke up to the sun in his eyes. He groaned, tossing himself onto his back, legs cramped up against the door of the car. His eyes squinted in the bright light, as he searched for Luke in the front seat, but instantly sat up when he realized that Luke was indeed not in the car. His chest constricted painfully, breathing halted in panic, as he scrambled to fling his blanket away to exit the car. It was like a cold ice water that spreaded throughout his veins at the realization of being alone.

Jonathan opened his door and jumped out, but froze when he saw Luke's form standing behind the car. He was looking down the highway, hand held up to shield his eyes from the sun. Luke must have heard Jonathan open his door because he turned around to smile at him.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!" Luke teased.

Jonathan was silent in his relief, a warmth coming back to thaw his heart, "Shut up, let's just go already."

Luke laughed, "Alright, fine."

Jonathan's hands were shaking just slightly as he reached into the backseat to grab the bag Luke pulled the blankets out of last night. Stuffing his blanket back into the bag, he grabbed Luke's that was seated lumpily in the front seat to pack up as well.

Jonathan heard Luke sigh, and he caught a glimpse of Luke's sad face as he stared at his car, "I can't believe I'm leaving my car out in the middle of nowhere."

"There's not a lot we can do about it." Jonathan said, passing Luke his bag for him to carry.

"Yeah, I know. It still makes me upset," he admitted, "I worked hard for this one."

Jonathan scoffed with a hint of amusement, "You totaled your last car, you needed this one, not wanted."

"As a matter of fact, I did want this one!" Luke exclaimed, opening the driver's door to root through his console and dash. "The crash gave me the incentive to get it."

Jonathan laughed, pulling his backpack up onto his shoulder, "Okay."

"Oh, I found some chapstick!" Luke grinned, pulling himself out of the car, holding up mentioned object.

Jonathan smiled, grabbing his duffle bag full of food and threw that over his shoulder as well. It was heavy, but he just wanted to leave more than worry about what he had to carry. "You have anything in your trunk?"

"No, I cleaned it out yesterday, actually. I was looking for something that I don't even remember about anymore." Luke said, standing up after finding some napkins from some fast food restaurant and that chapstick he stuck in his pocket. Everything else was useless for their journey. He grabbed his keys before shutting the car door and turning to Jonathan. "My other bag?"

Jonathan crawled into the back seat and dragged out another bag, handing it to Luke. "Here."

"Thanks," Luke said, crouching down to rummage through the bag real fast. He pulled out a handgun which Jonathan felt another great wave of relief.

"I feel a lot better now," Jonathan laughed, as Luke holstered the firearm to his waist. "I even forgot you owned guns."

Luke gave a smile, "Hopefully, I don't need to use it."

Jonathan nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

Luke stood up and situated the bag over his shoulder. "Ready?"

Jonathan nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Luke shifted his bags to sit better on his back, "Alright, let's go."

Jonathan and Luke had only been walking for 10 minutes before he was completely bored and tired. "Luke..." He quietly whined.

"Shut up, Jon." Luke huffed, "We still have a long ways to go."

"This is absolutely terrible, it's so hot and gross out here."

"It's all we have."

"I know," Jonathan pouted as they climbed the large inclined hill of the highway they followed. "Luke, you should carry me."

Luke gave him a quick amused, but exasperated glance. He continued forward still, about the same four paces ahead of Jonathan as before. "Definitely not."

"So mean. Jonathan lives matter, you know?"

Luke was obviously rolling his eyes, "Geez, maybe I'll remember that when I end up trying to murder you."

Jonathan grinned, "How rude."

"Shut up."

"You know, I thought you were a great guy-" Luke stopped as he made it to the top, putting a hand up to silence Jonathan.

Jogging slightly to catch up to Luke, Jonathan was stopped quickly next to the older man's side. A hand on his arm gripped him tightly as they overlooked the stretch of highway they uncovered. Jonathan swallowed thickly, fear swelling up quickly in his chest.

"It's so much more scary to see it in person." Luke commented quietly, as they watched sluggish figures maneuver their way around another terrible car pileup in the middle of the highway. It made shivers run down Jonathan's back.

Hand still tightly holding his arm, Jonathan angled his hand to tug on Luke's shirt, "Let's go."

Luke nodded in silent agreement, turning around with Jonathan to go back down the hill. "We can go back to that exit we saw a little ways back."

"Sounds good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Eighth of January, 2018.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	3. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, "She was smiling too much."_
> 
> _"I know, it was worrying." Luke made a face._
> 
> _"She did it so easily. Who smiles during an apocalypse?" Jonathan asked him._

"You know," Luke started as he and Jonathan walked down one of the exit roads into some small town outside of Cleveland. "We should just refer to ourselves by our nicknames incase someone overhears us."

"Why?" Jonathan asked, shifting his bags to settle a little more comfortably on his back, "It's not like it matters anymore."

Luke shrugged, "I would like something to keep for myself, you know. My name, I mean."

Jonathan thought about that, before making an agreeable noise, "I can understand that. I like it actually. It'll be like we're still playing games." Jonathan smiled just a bit.

Luke looked over to him, "Yeah."

A pause, "So, Mr. CaRtOoNz, our journey has only just begun! What do you say about that?" Jonathan exaggerated his voice just a bit, a grin in place as he watched Luke smile as well.

"Well, Delirious, I believe you're just silly. Shut up and keep walking." Luke's tone was slightly teasing as Jonathan jogged just a bit ahead to pivot and face Luke who continued to walk towards him.

"Well, Mr. tOoNz, remember that I know every one of your embarrassing stories! Being mean can result in loose lips, you know?"

Luke glared, "Oh really?" He grinned, "I believe I know many of yours as well, Del."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Yours are worse than mine."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "I don't know about that. Remember that time you-"

"No!" Jonathan exclaimed, shoving his hands into Luke's face and over his mouth. "No one says we should share just yet," Jonathan said nervously.

Luke chuckled behind Jonathan's hands, before he pulled them away with his own, "Alright, alright. I got you."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, "You torture me."

"Not yet."

Jonathan groaned, "You're terrible!"

"Why, I thought you already figured that out?" Luke droned.

"Shut up!"

Suddenly there was a sharp shriek that drew both of their attention to them finally entering the town. Run down buildings and faded roads. It still looked lived in except now it was pretty empty. There was, however, trash, abandoned cars, bodies, and other miscellaneous stuff. Jonathan grabbed hold of Luke's shirt sleeve, nose scrunched up with dislike.

"Did you hear that?" Jonathan whispered.

Luke frowned, "Yeah, sounded a little far off."

"Do you think we should...?"

Jonathan's trailed off question made Luke give him a small glance. Luke shifted his bags before he started to jog to the boarded up windows of the gas station near by. Jonathan quickly followed, watching as Luke pulled at one of the loose edges of a nailed up board. It came down easily which made Jonathan feel bad at how unprotected they were while Luke stepped on the middle of the board to break it in half. A small piece came off while another shout echoed through the silent town, sounding more like a word or so than the scream from earlier.

Jonathan awkwardly wondered if he should follow Luke's lead, as his anxiety rose higher and higher at the prospect of being too late. Luke grabbed his wrist and ran towards where he thought the voice came from.

"No time!" He shouted.

Jonathan agreed silently, as he followed closely to Luke's footsteps.

"Hello?" Jonathan was surprised by Luke's loud bellow having not expecting it.

"Careful!" The voice was loud, definitely feminine in tone as they came upon an intersection. Jonathan didn't understand why it was so clear until he crossed the intersection after Luke and was sudden slammed into and tumbling into the ground. Another body followed closely, landing on top of him as they skidded a small distance by their speed of impact.

A loud groan was heard in his ear as he grunted in pain. "Jo- Del!" Luke's voice registered slightly in his brain as he tried to comprehend what just happened.

A body next to him shifted, "Shit. Where the hell did you come from?"

"I don't-" Jonathan was cut off by a growl of sorts which made him shiver.

"Watch out!" Luke cried, as he swung his board into the head of a running creature. It looked like it buckled onto the floor, but Jonathan couldn't be sure as his brain worked overtime to process everything.

Jonathan was hastily pulled to his feet, swaying slightly from dizziness before being dragged away. "Come on!" The female he ran into was tugging him to run, Luke on his other side, making sure he was okay as they quickly hauled it down the road.

He felt slightly disoriented, but the girl seemed fine as they ran through alleyways and down more roads, before she lead them to a building. She turned to us, "Can you climb?"

Luke nodded, "Yeah, we got it."

"Alright, follow me."

She jumped up onto the building before scaling the side of it, effortlessly making her way to a window ledge. She waved them up. Luke turned to Jonathan, "You go ahead. I got you if anything happens."

Jonathan frowned, but silently spun towards the wall. He pulled himself up onto and it slowly climbed. As he got closer to the ledge the girl was perched on, she smiled and reached a hand out to him. He gratefully accepted it as she jerked him up onto the window rest. Luke magically appeared behind him, grabbing onto the ledge as the girl ushered Jonathan and herself into the now opened window.

It was like a little apartment, with a small living room, a small joined kitchen and probably a small bathroom and bedroom behind the two closed doors. "Sorry that everything was so sudden," the girl apologized, moving to the living room area to sit down. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Luke appeared next to him, a hand on Jonathan's back that silently urged him to move to the couches. They both sat on an adjacent sofa next to each other, "It'll all fine. Thanks for helping with Del."

She waved her hand, "No, thank you for trying to help me," she smiled. "And succeeding. I was too relaxed and was disarmed while searching for food. I was lucky I got away before you both came." She looked to Jonathan, "We both should have been more observant though, huh?"

Jonathan silently nodded, finally noticing the girls hair and clothes. Her hair was long and black, pulled back into a long, high ponytail, and black clothes consisting of shorts and a plain T-shirt. Her skin was pale however, and her eyes weren't anything but a dull grey, with just a glimmer of kindness and friendly invitation. She was small in stature, but she was stronger than she looked.

"Your names? Mine's Sakura." She smiled widely.

They glanced at each other for a moment, before Luke started, "CaRtOoNz."

"Delirious."

She paused for a moment, but her smile was still there, "Not real ones, then? I like them. What brings you here?"

"Going west." Luke said. "Just trying to find somewhere we can be safe, but support ourselves at the same time."

Sakura nodded, "Smart idea. Do you have any specific destination in mind?"

"No, it's all just which way we're lead." Luke replied.

Jonathan looked down at his fidgeting fingers as the conversation went on, absentmindedly scratching at the inside of his wrists.

"Where you from?"

"North Carolina," Jonathan said quietly.

"Oh! Really?" She smiled wide again, "I was born there, but lived most of my life up in New York."

Luke leaned back, getting comfortable, "Why are you here in Tennessee then?"

Sakura paused, "Well, I was visiting a friend, but I never made it back home. I live in Vermont."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Luke said.

She gave an airy laugh, waving him away, "No, it's alright. I don't have any family waiting for me home anyway."

Jonathan perked up at that, "You don't?"

Sakura's smile was a little thin now, "No, I'm an orphan." There was a pause from everyone before she continued, "It doesn't really matter though. I don't really mind anymore."

Luke nodded, "I see."

An awkward silence passed over them. "Well, I know it's early, but I'm gonna go to bed. Thank you very much for helping me out today. You can use the living room and bathroom to your leisure. You can leave whenever you want as well, just know it's getting dark out soon, and you don't want to be out there when it happens." She smiled, "It's terrifying."

Jonathan felt a shiver run down his spine, making a glance to Luke, who seemed to already know the decision made. "Thank you." Luke responded.

"No problem," she said as she disappeared into the bedroom.

Luke exhaled loudly, drawing Jonathan's attention; the man looked relieved. "What?" Jonathan asked.

"I was worried something bad would happen. Nothing much."

Jonathan furrowed his eyebrows, "She was smiling too much."

"I know, it was worrying." Luke made a face.

"She did it so easily. Who smiles during an apocalypse?" Jonathan asked him.

Luke paused, "What are you trying to say?"

"She smiled like she was used to it, smiling effortlessly. She wasn't happy at all, she was probably just as scared as you were." Jonathan said.

Luke frowned, "I was not scared, just worried. And I still don't understand what you're trying to say."

"She's lonely." Jonathan said, tone slightly too firm as he looked to Luke with hard eyes.

"And you know the art of smiles?" Luke asked.

Jonathan frowned, looking down, urging Luke to understand where he was coming from when he raised his head to meet his gaze.

Luke sighed, "Yeah, okay, stupid question, I got you." He offered his hand, "Come, let's get some sleep then. If you trust her so much, I'll trust you."

"I can't say I trust her, Lu- CaRtOoNz, I just... know things sometimes." Jonathan took Luke's hand and was pulled to the couch. "I get the small couch."

Luke rolled his eyes as Jonathan let go of his hand to tread to the small loveseat, "Yeah, yeah, if I get murdered in my sleep I'm gonna haunt you."

Jonathan scoffed, "Most likely, if you get murdered, I'll be murdered too."

Luke sat down on his couch, the blanket on the arm of it looking only slightly appealing. "I guess so, but you have amazing luck."

Jonathan frowned, "Amazing good luck, or bad luck?"

Luke sighed, "We're not here to figure out the philosophy of luck."

Jonathan huffed, "Shut up. I'm going to sleep." He heavily plopped himself into a curled up position facing the back of the couch.

Luke chuckled, "You baby."

"Jerk." Jonathan threw back as he aggressively pulled the blanket from the couches back and onto himself.

Luke smiled wide, "Low-blow that one," he teased.

"Shut up!"

Luke laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Eleventh of February, 2018.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	4. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Luke smirked, "Us? Good people?"_
> 
> _Sakura rolled her eyes, "Good enough."_
> 
> _Jonathan elbowed Luke in the side, "I'm a good person!"_
> 
> _Luke laughed, "Sure, you psychopath."_

Jonathan was woken up by the sound of laughter. He cracked his eyes opened as he shifted his body.

Sakura was laughing as Luke grinned from the couch he slept on last night. Jonathan frowned, "What's so funny?"

Luke glanced to him and smirked, "The man of the hour has finally woken up!"

"Man of the hour?" Jonathan croaked, feeling a little suspicious, "I don't like the sound of that."

"Oh no, it was great," Sakura smiled.

Jonathan glared at Luke, "What were you telling her about?"

She smirked, "Delirious, I didn't know you liked to sleep free of constrictions. You were free to do as you liked, you know. It was just you and CaRtOoNz out here, and I'm pretty sure he has already seen everything you've got."

Luke snickered as Jonathan got very silent. His mask blocked his embarrassed face painted red. "I hate you," he muttered to Luke, "That was an accident."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Sure," he smiled, "We both know your love for attention."

Jonathan scoffed as he sat up on his couch, "Oh shut up."

Sakura was leaning against one of the living room walls facing Luke. Jonathan felt a little awkward in the sudden silence that overtook them all, making him think about how weird it was for them to meet someone, use their shelter and then just leave.

Jonathan bit his lip, "Sakura, do you plan on staying here?"

Sakura looked a little surprised by the question, but then smiled with an uncertain tint, "I don't know yet. There isn't a lot of resources here, I've searched high and low already, and I've only found as much as people left." Her arms were crossed as she contemplatively stared up at the ceiling. "Towns are harder to survive in. They provide high shelter, but they don't provide a lot of extended food or water supplies. I've already prepared to leave, to be honest."

Jonathan was silent for a moment, ignoring the urge to look over at Luke. "Join us then."

Sakura got wide eyed, looking between both Luke and Jonathan, "Are you sure?"

Luke shrugged from Jonathan's peripheral vision, "I was thinking the same thing."

Jonathan smiled pointlessly behind his mask, "You didn't kill us in our sleep, so I'm happy. You have nowhere to go, Luke seems to enjoy talking to you, and it'll be nice to have another person to add to our group."

Sakura smiled wide, "Thank you!"

"So, that's a 'yes'?" Jonathan raised an unseen eyebrow.

"Of course!"

"It must be lonely to be by yourself anyway," Luke started, "I wouldn't like it at all."

Sakura sighed, "It's something I'm use to."

"Well, now you have us to get use to!" Jonathan grinned.

Sakura huffed a laugh, "True."

"You said you were ready to leave. Got anything packed?" Luke asked.

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, only had a backpack of things anyway."

"Great, it's already mid morning, we should get going so we can cover some ground before dark."

Jonathan agreed, getting up to fold the couch blanket he used. "You want these?" He asked as Sakura returned from the bedroom.

She bit her lip, "Maybe one of them, I don't have anything to cover up with for nights except for a sweater." Jonathan handed her the one he had and she smiled.

She took some rope from her bag and rolled the blanket around the string and then twisted and tied it around. Tying it to the handle of her bag, she stood back up and slipped in onto her back. She gave a large smile, "Ready?"

Luke and Jonathan nodded, moving to leave the apartment.

Scaling down the apartment wasn't as bad as yesterday when Jonathan was dazed, but it still made him nervous. However, without incident, they were sneakily crossing town, following a road that would lead them back onto the highway, hopefully completely passing the blockage Luke and Jonathan came across yesterday.

Luke and Sakura were slightly ahead, having an apparent interesting conversation while Jonathan lagged behind slightly as he daydreamed. Today would be a long, boring day.

Luke glanced back at him and they met eyes. Luke smiled, You're a little quiet back there."

Jonathan smiled an unseeable smile, "Everything is good. Just watching, you know?"

"Sakura was just telling me about her interest in writing." Luke said, glancing to Sakura.

Jonathan jogged up to them, "Really?"

Sakura scoffed, "It wasn't anything, to be honest, just some dabbles."

Luke nudged Jonathan at his right side, "Delirious himself was into some fanfiction, you do any of that?"

"CaRtOoNz!"

Sakura laughed, "Like I said, I dabbled."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "Before shit went down, you watch any YouTube?"

Sakura paused, before sighing, "Yeah."

"You know us?"

"Of course."

Luke laughed, "No wonder you seem so relaxed around us."

"And she didn't mind our nicknames much," Jonathan muttered.

"CaRtOoNz was really the only one who gave it away, I know his face," she shrugged, "Plus, your hockey mask made it easier."

"Then we gave you our nicknames," Luke supplied.

Sakura smirked, "I think it's called 'the icing on the cake'," she joked before bumping shoulders with Luke and dropping her expression to something more mellow, "But I do know who you are. You could say I was very much surprised to see you both here in Tennessee. Although, maybe I shouldn't have been - we are in an apparent apocalypse."

"I would say that's a very sufficient reason to not find most things surprising," Luke agreed.

"Well, welcome to the group, I suppose," Jonathan piped up.

Sakura smiled, "Thank you. Sorry to meet you under such circumstances."

Instantly waving it away, Luke smiled, "Nonsense, what I'm more invested in, is why a young lady like yourself was watching two dorks play video games?"

She paused for a second, features contemplative before fading into something more blank. She shrugged, "You made me laugh."

Luke raised an eyebrow, "That's all?"

She gave him a half smirk and a sideway glance before looking down the road, "I could be more honest and give you the sappy 'you saved my life' line that you've heard a million times from other fans, but I like to be simple."

Luke blinked.

"Um..." Jonathan nervously shifted his baggage.

"See," she said, "Kind of awkward now. But yeah, I was in a dark place, hated the world and stuff. Then I was surfing the net and found an Irishman - who called himself Jacksepticeye - and he made me smile and laugh. I then found Markiplier before I came across you guys, Vanoss and so on. Made me hopeful that there were actually good people in the world."

Luke smirked, "Us? Good people?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Good enough."

Jonathan elbowed Luke in the side, "I'm a good person!"

Luke laughed, "Sure, you psychopath."

"I'm not a psychopath!"

"Have you  _watched_  any of your videos?" Sakura asked amused.

Jonathan paused with a sheepish smile underneath his mask, "Maybe..."

Luke elbowed him back, "You're just on the other side of crazy."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, "Oh wow, that makes me feel so much better."

"Good."

They laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Tenth of March, 2018.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	5. Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"At least you're partially a morning person, don't be so difficult," Luke shook his head, smile tugging his lips._
> 
> _"I'll be as difficult as I want."_
> 
> _"You go ahead, I'll leave you to your tantrums."_
> 
> _"I don't have_ tantrums _," Jonathan grumbled._

"I was sixteen when I came across you guys on YouTube," Sakura started softly, eyes focused on the flickering flames separating the three of them. They huddled around the small thing - camping on a flat roof top easily accessible from a short climb, but blocked off through other entryways.

It was darkening outside quickly, the sun fading out behind the horizon; leaving a chill in the air they didn't quite enjoy even if they were in what was considered the warmer states.

The flame was controlled and they kept close to it as the flickers of its life reflected in their eyes. Jonathan looked up at her voice, watching the way her own grey orbs looked colorful in an artificial liveliness.

Luke made a contemplative noise as he too looked up with orange hued, usually brown, reflectives. "Really? How did you manage that?"

The somber mood of the night was a little unsettling, Jonathan could feel it eating its way underneath his skin as he shifted his sitting position in discomfort - a small move to inch a little closer to the solacing presence of his best friend.

A sardonic smile lifted her lips, "I started watching YouTube only a year before - about two years after I got stuck in the system. I used the library computers and I came across Jacksepticeye first - then Markiplier. Afterwards, I decided to dabble into some Vanoss - that was how I came across Delirious." She grinned, eyes not leaving the fire.

"Delirious was... well, he was perfect. Exactly what I needed; loud, attention grabbing and  _happy_." Sakura finally looked up - eyes locking on Jonathan's. He froze, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Delirious had that way of drawing you in, making you want to be his friend too, making you want to join the fun with everyone else - the half crazed mess and all."

She smiled. "I never wanted a friend before. I never had one and I never thought I needed one, but then," she sighed, "Delirious, Vanoss, and watching them play with their own friends while laughing and sounding so...  _full of life_ ; I felt like maybe a friend was something that  _I should want_  to have as well."

She fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve, "Of course, I never had experience with friends - and I got myself into some trouble. Turns out no one wants to be seen with a ' _troubled child_ '... but I just wanted to say that I'm grateful. For what you did - on YouTube," she said, "You played games, yeah, but you played with your friends and made a community of more. Not on a personal level - but it was nice to know that someone cared for a faceless, nameless nobody than to have felt completely alone."

"I'm not actually... that great..." Jonathan muttered and she only continued to smile while he looked away. "We just went along - I went along. Sometimes - well,  _happy_ , isn't the word I would use-"

"Listen," she started, voice edged with a sharpness that made Jonathan straighten. Luke must have caught on as well because he was instantly focused on watching Sakura. Her eyes still stayed passive and light, but her facial expressions were tense and her fingers clenched and unclenched in her lap. "I was six years old when my parents," she stopped, swallowed, "When they  _handed_  me off. I had to survive on how to read people - to understand what they liked and what they didn't like," she shivered, eyes now dark in reminisced memories, "I  _know_  when someone is happy, and when one isn't."

She took a deep breath, eyes fading back into a dull grey, the orange tint of the flame between them swallowed whole. "Yes, you had your moments, and yes, maybe you weren't happy with a situation you may have been dealing with outside of gaming or maybe you hated yourself at the time, but you were happy. Happy with your friends. Happy with what you were doing and... that was enough for me. So,  _thank you_." She murmured.

There was a sudden silence that overcame them before Luke spoke up, "Why was that important to you?"

Sakura met his gaze, but waited without a word.

"Why was Delirious being happy important to you?"

"To be honest, I don't know. Maybe it was because I wanted him to have something for helping me cope through a... hard time in my life. Maybe I wanted someone else to be happy because I couldn't bring myself to be. Maybe I just wanted a psychological reminder of what happy sounded like..." She shrugged, "Who knows?"

"Oh..."

"Sorry," she smiled, "I didn't mean to make things depressing, I just didn't like the silence."

Luke smiled back, "It's all good."

"I can take first watch if you guys want to go to bed now," she said, reaching for her bag.

"Well," Luke started, "If you're alright with that."

She raised as eyebrow at him, "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't alright with it."

Luke rolled his eyes with a chuckle, "Yeah, yeah, fine - Del, what do you say?"

"I don't mind," Jonathan answered, watching Sakura finally pull a book out. "You're gonna read a book? Out here in the dark?"

"I've had practice, it's fine. I can use the firelight too."

Delirious almost wanted to smile, "Okay, just don't give yourself too much of a headache."

"Sure, thanks."

Luke pulled out some blankets as he settled out where he and Jonathan were to turn in for the night, "I'll take the next shift, just wake me up, Delirious will be way too grumpy otherwise."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, "Yeah right, I'll be just as grumpy waking up at odd hours of the morning."

"At least you're partially a morning person, don't be so difficult," Luke shook his head, smile tugging his lips.

"I'll be as difficult as I want."

"You go ahead, I'll leave you to your tantrums."

"I don't have  _tantrums_ ," Jonathan grumbled.

"Sure you don't," Luke chirped, stepping over Sakura's stretched out legs to do a quick perimeter check, "And we should let the fire die. No more feeding it anything."

With a scoff, Jonathan laid out on his pile of blankets, "It's not a child."

Luke grinned, "You're right, we already have one of those."

Sakura laughed, while Jonathan's face pinched up into a displeased expression, "Oh shut up."

"I worked so hard to make it live, too," Sakura murmured false sorrow. "To think Delirious thought so little of it."

Luke grinned, "Delirious has always been heartless. Attention grabber, eh?"

Jonathan huffed as Sakura gave an amused grin, "I think this is classified as bullying," he muttered, eyes turning up to the sky.

"I think it's your bedtime, little one," Luke responded. "Sakura can tell you a bedtime story, and I'll gladly tuck you in."

"Fuck off," Jonathan snipped, folding himself under his covers and burying his face into his makeshift pillow. They were a bit chilly, but it felt refreshing with the thought of sleep.

"Watch your language," Luke chided, smile heard in his voice as he cuddled up in his own covers close to Jonathan.

" _Shut up_ ," Jonathan hissed, not so much aggressive as he was flustered. He could never win against Luke's teasing.

Jonathan fell asleep to Luke's laughter and Sakura's stifled giggles.

He briefly wonders if this is what matters when in the middle of the world falling apart - because he thinks it may be some of the perfect sounds you could come across when in the mist of an apocalypse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Twenty-Eighth of March, 2018.
> 
> I hope Sakura's character seems okay enough to flit between the normal Delirious/CaRtOoNz duo. Sakura is a character I've had made for years, but because I've based her off of the more personal parts of myself, I find her way too awkward for my tastes. She seems rusty and a little... well, broken. Hope it's not too distracting.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	6. Pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Jonathan grinned, "I want fun."_
> 
> _"You want_ attention _," Sakura quipped._
> 
> _Jonathan huffed at Luke's bark of laughter._
> 
> _"I'm having fun, aren't you Del?"_
> 
> _"Shut up, CaRtOoNz," he grumbled._

"My feet hurt," Jonathan whined.

Luke only spared him a short glare, "Yeah, we know."

"You definitely haven't mentioned this a thousand times before," Sakura piped.

"They really,  _really_  hurt," he emphasized just for show.

Sakura gave him a small smile, "We still have a ways to go."

Luke sighed, "All of our feet hurt, Del."

Jonathan frowned, "I know."

Luke looked to him before biting his lip and pulling Jonathan closer. There was some shuffling and tugging as Jonathan let Luke do as he pleased with him.

Jonathan opened his eyes, not remembering closing them, as he felt distinctly lighter. He sighed in relief until his eyes focused on Luke and realized that was in fact one of Jonathan's own bags the older man was shrugging onto his shoulders.

Jonathan suddenly felt overwhelmingly guilty as he grabbed for Luke's arm, "Lu- CaRtOoNz; what the hell?"

Luke gave him a blank stare and then turned back in the direction they were already headed, "Let's go, come on. We may have all day, all the time in the world - but let's at least be productive."

"No, wait, but Toonz-"

" _Del_ ," Jonathan paused at Luke's suddenly steely tone of voice. He met Luke's brown eyes which were soft and warm - a sharp contrast from the edge in his voice, "We can share some weight every now and then, alright?"

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Jonathan nodded. Luke smiled, bumping shoulders with his best friend before continuing on. Sakura walked past Jonathan to follow after Luke, and Jonathan was momentarily frozen.

Jonathan met grey eyes, noting that Sakura turned back to face him. She waved her head to Luke for Jonathan to follow as well - flashing him a smile to add.

Giving a small sigh, Jonathan quickly caught up to her, if not to Luke. Sakura and he walked a few steps behind Luke, only minimal space between them as with each step they either brushed thighs or shoulders.

It was comfort technique - one that Luke use to use for Jonathan when they were young. Jonathan was sure he was the one who started it however, only barely noting the way Sakura would flinch at the first brushes, but then it faded away.

After awhile she relaxed, her body noticeably becoming less and less tense as they continued. She even pressed a little more insistently to Jonathan at one point and it made him smile under his mask.

"Who was this friend you came to visit here in Tennessee?" Jonathan asked, trying to break the blanketed silence that overcame them.

Grey eyes blinked, Sakura giving him a short glance. She smiled, "The only friend I made. Well, one of very few. We started messaging after a brief meeting from a once mutual acquaintance."

Her voice was soft, and Jonathan hummed, "She must have been a great friend."

With a smirk, Sakura gave an amused huff, " _He_ ," she corrected. "His name was Anthony; Tony for short."

Jonathan blinked, "Oh."

She laughed, "Please, he was dating a male friend of mine - that mutual acquaintance I mentioned before. He's gay."

Luke turned to face them, walking backwards with an amused facial expression, "Wait, so this 'friend' is just an 'acquaintance'?"

Shrugging, Sakura's smile faltered for a moment, "Yeah, after meeting Tony, they had a nasty break up and then my friend and I had a nasty falling out. Turns out I was just a pitiful pet."

Both Luke and Jonathan frowned, "You stayed in contact with Tony?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, he helped me out - pulled me through a rough spot. This was my first time meeting Tony face-to-face."

"Sorry," Luke blurted.

Shaking her head, black hair swishing with the swing, Sakura waved a nochant hand at him, "Nothing to apologize for - I'm grateful to have had that one chance to have met him then none at all."

A sharp pain made itself known in Jonathan's heart, but he ignored it when he instantly spotted a voidness in grey orbs as they stared out at the distance before them. Jonathan didn't push, however, and instead turned to Luke.

Luke raised a knowing eyebrow at him, before responding to Sakura, "I suppose that is an admirable view on the situation."

Sakura smiled again, "I suppose so as well."

"I have to say though," Luke said with a grin, but a seriousness in his eyes. "You are definitely no pet to us."

Sakura paused, before a large grin took over her face, "Thank you."

"You may look good with a pair of cat ears though," Luke teased.

Jonathan laughed at the flush on Sakura's face as she carefully made her own reply, "I don't know, I think cat ears would suit Delirious more."

Luke laughed in response. Jonathan sputtered, "I-I don't think so!"

"I agree," Luke said, sailing over Jonathan's admission, "Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Sakura giggled, "Well, I think I may be able to do something about it," a mischievous gleam in her eyes made Jonathan a little suspicious.

"Let's keep moving, how about that?" Jonathan interrupted instead.

Luke and Sakura exchanged looks before grinning at Jonathan.

"Sure," Luke appeased, "We have a while yet until dark."

Sakura became serious again, giving a sharp nod.

"Yes, let's keep focused on our mission," she said.

Jonathan smiled under his mask, "My feet hurt."

Both Sakura and Luke gave him unimpressed expressions, even with the amused undertones shining in their eyes. "No more of that," Luke astonished.

Jonathan grinned, "I want fun."

"You want  _attention_ ," Sakura quipped.

Jonathan huffed at Luke's bark of laughter.

"I'm having fun, aren't you Del?"

"Shut up, CaRtOoNz," he grumbled.

Sakura grinned, as Luke fell back into pace with them.

"I feel like you are."

"I said shut up."

"No need for sour puss attitude, Del-"

"Shut up."

Luke grinned, "We'll talk about this later."

He was rewarded a hefty glare which he happily ignored as he thought about fun things to mess with later at Jonathan's expense.

And later was indeed fun, listening to Jonathan angrily huff and puff - arms crossed over his chest childishly, and hair messily mussed to emphasize the crude makeshift cat ears poking from the younger males head.

Sakura laughed as quietly as she could, as they staked out in a boxed off area of wilderness.

"I can't even  _begin_  to explain my disappointment in both of you," Jonathan hissed.

Sakura had a headband she used, with some leaves she charocled black to make a very poor, but as best as possible representation of cat ears for Jonathan's interest.

Luke grinned cheekily, "I don't quite know what you mean."

Jonathan narrowed icy blues at him, "Fuck you."

Curled up in her sleeping blankets, Sakura held a hand to her aching tummy muscles, "Now, now," she gasped out, "That's not nice, love."

Jonathan huffed, almost giving visual interpretation of steam pillowing from his nostrils in a deficient likeness to that of a dragon. It was faulty as Jonathan was not intimidating enough to pull it off.

Luke grinned, "Told you we'd talk about this later."

"This is bullying."

"We've already gone through a similar conversation, Del," Luke simmered, "This is  _love_."

Jonathan only huffed, "Shut up," he growled, plucking the humiliating object from his head, and chucked it as his best friend.

Burying himself under his covers, Jonathan heard Luke trying to stifle his own laughing, "You didn't have to ruin them."

Jonathan stayed silent, and Luke only gave an amused sigh. "Goodnight."

"Night," he grumbled back.

Jonathan heard some shuffling and then the soft tones of Sakura and Luke carrying a whispered conversation. He relaxed instantly, lulling into a deep sleep at the sound of his friends low voices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Wattpad the Seventh of April, 2018.
> 
> Things will be picking up after this.
> 
> Thanks for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	7. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You’re definitely weird.”_
> 
> _“I’m_ interesting _.”_
> 
> _“Your friends are even weirder.”_
> 
> _“They are_ fun _.”_
> 
> _Jonathan paused, “You have a skewed sense of fun.”_

“Do you believe in luck, Sakura?” Luke asked, face pinched in exhaustion and misery. However, he continued forward at the same pace, and Jonathan walked between the two.

Sakura turned to them, grey eyes passive, “I suppose so,” she smiled. “Why do you ask?”

Luke shrugged, “Del has been trying to enlighten himself in the ways of karmic philosophy.”

Jonathan let out a scoff, “Sure, that's exactly it.”

Sakura’s eyes softened, “Sorry, I won't be much help then. Meditation sounds like it would be right up your alley, though?”

Luke laughed, “Yes, a solid way to ‘ _get in touch with your inner self_ ’; it's perfect!”

Jonathan shook his head in exasperation, “I’m not doing meditation. There’s no reason to ‘ _get in touch with my inner self_ ’.”

“You’re just being stubborn.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes, “Sure.”

Sakura giggled, “You’re both stubborn.”

Luke grinned, “Thank you!”

“Shut up, CaRtOoNz,” Jonathan huffed while Luke completely ignored him to happily praise Sakura.

It was hours later and the sun was barely setting.

Sakura pressed herself between Jonathan and Luke, eyes on the outside world from their makeshift shelter. There was a silence that settled over them; they immediately understood they would be getting little sleep tonight.

The wailing and distant ambient noise was enough to send shivers down their spines.

“Say, do you think we are lucky or unlucky, now, CaRtOoNz?” Jonathan murmured.

Luke shook his head lightly, “I told you,” he said to Sakura who silently glanced between them, “And of fucking course I think we’re lucky, Del. For me, I’ve got two great friends with me right now.”

Sakura smiled.

Jonathan huffed, “You’re a sap.”

“I’m a smooth talker.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes, “You’re a fucking idiot.”

Luke reached over Sakura to give a jab to Jonathan’s side, “Quit with the grouchy act, it’s getting old.”

“You’re getting, old.”

Luke chuckled, “You’re only four years behind me.”

Sakura sighed, “I think you both should go to bed - all this bickering is melting your brains, I’m sure.”

“Awe, are you worried about us?” Luke cooed.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, “Yes, and for myself. Don’t want mashed brains like yours.”

Luke laughed, “Stingy,” he said as he stood up. “I’ll situate the blankets and stuff then.”

There was some shuffling behind them that confirmed Luke’s statement, and Sakura turned to Jonathan, “How long have you two known each other?”

“A long time,” Jonathan said, hand reaching up to shift his mask a bit. “Since we were teens - he moved to my area around my Freshman year. He was a Senior, but we had a random elective class together.” He gave a shrug, “We became friends, he helped me through some stuff, and we’ve stayed close since.”

“That’s nice.”

Jonathan snorted, “Yeah, I suppose it is. I’m very grateful, very lucky.”

Sakura grinned, “I like to believe that my best friend is Sherlock Holmes.”

“What? Why that guy? Isn’t he some socially awkward detective or such?”

“Yeah, and fictional, but reading his stories with John H. Watson really made my day.” Sakura sighed, “I wish I brought them with me.”

Jonathan shook his head, “You’re a weird one.”

“I also like to believe in my heart that I’m friends with Spock.”

Jonathan paused, “Spock?”

Sakura’s eyes widened, “You know, that pointy eared guy from _Star Trek_?”

“Oh, that one. Isn’t he, like, emotionally inept?”

Sakura grinned, “Not quite, but yeah.”

“You’re definitely weird.”

“I’m _interesting_.”

“Your friends are even weirder.”

“They are _fun_.”

Jonathan paused, “You have a skewed sense of fun.”

“Says the man that plays video games for a living and posts them on the internet for his salary.”

Luke barked out a laugh, “You guys are cute.”

“Shut up,” Jonathan grumbled. “You’re no better.”

“No, I’m not,” the man chirped, “But at least I can admit it.”

His toothy grin made Jonathan want to punch it off his face.

“Are you done _situating_ the blankets?” Sakura cut in.

Luke nodded, “You aren’t telling me you’re taking first shift though.”

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Why not?”

“Because it’s scary as fuck listening to the bullshit out there already even with company; I wouldn't want to leave you to it alone.”

“I agree,” Jonathan added.

Sakura blinked, “You need sleep.”

“So do you.”

“What are you suggesting then?”

“Just come to bed with us.”

Jonathan blinked, “What?”

Sakura looked equally confused. “Who will watch-”

“We’re just laying down, if someone sleeps, then so what. We’ll take little naps here and there, but just come lay down with us for tonight.”

Sakura’s lips quirked down slightly, but acquiesced.

Jonathan laid down between Luke and Sakura, listening to the silence that fell over them.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, he quietly spoke out into the dark, “Let’s play a game.”

Luke snorted, “Good idea.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know. I am too.”

“What game?” Sakura asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe 20 Questions?”

“I guess it works.”

“Who starts?”

“I’ll go,” Luke said, “What’s your favorite color? Mines red.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes in the dark - no one saw the movement, “Stupid question; blue.”

“Purple,” Sakura replied, “What was your favorite subject? I liked Psychology class.”

“Gym.”

“That isn’t a subject,” Jonathan muttered, “Mine was Earth Science.”

“Gym was a great school subject. You only liked Earth Science because you thought it was easy.”

“It was easy! I got to scratch rocks against glass to test out their hardness.”

“Only you would do that, Del,” Luke laughed.

“Oh shut up, CaRtOoNz,” Jonathan growled, “What was your most beloved object? I miss my gaming console.”

“My car,” the tone of his pout shaped Luke’s voice.

“My laptop.” Sakura answered.

Jonathan smiled, “We’re freaking weirdos.”

“You said it, not us,” Luke droned.

Sakura giggled, “We’re in the middle of a fucking apocalypse.”

“Are we just stating things now? Because my feet are damn cold.”

A silence stretched between them before Jonathan turned his head to Luke, “Do you think we’ll make it, CaRtOoNz?”

“What is up with you and all these deep questions? Stop focusing on that so much, just live in the now, Del. All that’s important is here and now.”

“I agree,” Sakura murmured softly.

Biting his lip, Jonathan sighed, “I’m just worried.”

“I know you are, we both know. But worrying isn’t going to help. We just have to live and learn. We have to keep moving, Del, trugging on through thick and thin. We’ll make it. We’ll do it. We always have.”

“You always will,” Sakura said.

“ _We_ always will,” Luke corrected.

Listening to the next quiet that fell over them, Jonathan felt much lighter. He smiled.

“I think I can agree with that.”

“Good.”

Sakura shifted in her blankets, laying on her side to face Jonathan and Luke, “I concur.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes, “You and your big words.”

“That one was only six letters, Delirious.”

Luke laughed, “That’s still big to him.”

“ _Shut up_ , CaRtOoNz.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	8. Compromised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Things weren't that great to begin with, but it was a second of difference that turned things from okay to_ nightmarish.

“..ake...p…”

Jonathan thrashed and whined in his bundle of blankets. A very worried Sakura wrung her hands behind Luke who tried to shake him awake. There was very little success however, as Luke continued to shake and urge him to consciousness, but was repeatedly - unknowingly - batted away by the subject in distress.

“Del, Jon, wake the fuck up,” Luke implored as he gave a resounding smack to Jonathan's cheek. Jonathan's eyes snapped open in response, shooting up into a sitting position with a sharp intake of breath.

He blinked wide eyed at nothing for a moment until focused blue orbs slid to Luke’s tensed form. “Uh, hi…?”

Luke slumped, figure leaning back to fold at the knees where he positioned himself next to Jonathan, “You fucking asshole,” Luke breathed.

Jonathan shot him tired eyes, “Sorry.”

Luke held back the urge to choke that meek look in his friends expression, “It's been awhile since I last witnessed one of your crazy nightmares.”

“It's been awhile since I've had one.”

They fell into silence before blue eyes looked up to meet grey ones darkened in worry and concern. “Hey.”

Sakura frowned, “Are you alright?”

Jonathan nodded, “Yeah, just a lapse of control.”

There was a pause, a heavy air of strain between them all before Sakura gave a disbelieving, but reluctant nod.

“Let's get moving,” Luke offered, moving to stand and gather their things. “We've made a lot of noise - it's better we leave soon.”

They silently agreed, following Luke's example.

Half the day passed in a quiet melancholy. It was awkward, strained, and anxiously disheartening.

They shouldered through it, pressed tight together.

A sign a ways back said they passed into Arkansas. It was stifling and warm, a humid mess of emotions and clammy skin; the sweat slick stick of confining clothes and dizzying pound of relentless internalized conflict.

It was late evening when they took a break.

Luke meaningfully clunked shoulders with Jonathan as he passed him to set his bag down in search for a few nibbles to snack on.

Sakura was scouting the area, footsteps quiet as she carefully padded a good distance from them to make a somewhat safe circle around their break area.

Things broke down too fast.

Things weren't that great to begin with, but it was a second of difference that turned things from okay to _nightmarish_.

Jonathan was busy focusing on Luke's measured movements then he was on Sakura’s careful proceedings when there was a sudden shuffle and drag of heavy footsteps and an equally heartstopping gasp and yelp to follow.

Jonathan snapped to Sakura’s form as it tumbled and fell with the weight of another more grotesque one. Her face was wide and terrified, but she was mindful of her noise, clamping lips down with the force of teeth and sheer will.

Luke was instantly taking action, pocket knife out and ready as he quickly advanced on the struggling pair, Sakura barely keeping snapping teeth from the vulnerable skin and flesh of her neck with the push and shove of her arms and hands.

Jonathan was frozen, thoughts and limbs heavy with the sudden alarm and panic that flooded his nervous system - he was a flight in the ‘fight or flight’ signal his body flashed through his body, but the sight of his two friends in the danger zone had him rooted to his spot.

He couldn't run away, but he couldn’t _just sit here and watch_.

Jonathan's brain did nothing to help get his legs or feet moving as he watched Luke go to Sakura’s aid without preamble.

With no hesitation, Luke was pulling the rotten humanoid thing back by the thinning tuffs of greying hair on its head, angling it back and ultimately pulling the dangerous chomping - half missing - rows of teeth from Sakura’s face. One sharp movement, Luke had thrusted the pocket knife blade into its skull, the figure immediately slumping in dead weight.

Sakura’s body heaved in heavy breath, air gasping hot and fast through an upturned mouth and trembling figure. She crawled back and out from underneath her now lifeless attacker.

Luke tossed it away, repelled by the thing that attacked and scared his friend, and turned to Sakura. She was shaking still, pulling in large breaths of oxygen as she gaze unfocused at the carcass of a once normal human.

“Sakura?” Luke called softly, and Jonathan suddenly had use of his limbs once more. He shot to his feet and grabbed his water jug before moving towards them.

Sakura flinched at the sudden movement, and once again Jonathan was frozen in uncertainty.

Luke slowly moved towards her, and her grey eyes dark in fear and alarm snapped to his advancing form.

“No,” she rasped, voice breaking on the single syllable, “Don't come near me.”

Luke did not heed her warning and continued forward, “You're fine, you're just a bit scared, and I would be too if I was in your place.” Jonathan steeled his nerves and followed after Luke, “Let us help-"

“No!” Sakura growled, body trembling as she shuffled back some more, eye darting over their surroundings in paranoid searching, which caused Jonathan to check the area behind her back, “No, you don’t understand. I’m comp-" she swallowed a lump in her throat, “I’m compromised.”

Luke paused and she watched with sharp grey eyes, the fear fading into a reluctant acceptance and sorrow that Jonathan did not understand nor did he like the implications of.

“What the fuck are you saying?” Jonathan demanded, emotions barely contained under a lid of panic. Sakura turned to him with welling tears, “What. In. The. Actual fuck. Are you saying-”

And then she was holding out the bloodied mess of her arm, teeth marks a stark contrast from what was suppose to be pale, smooth, _unbroken_ skin. That earlier implication was very clearly true, the outcomes he originally suppressed at the first hint of something _absolutely wrong_ were right, the worst possible situation has presented itself.

Jonathan vaguely noted Luke's shaking form while his own trembles racked his suddenly weak and exhausted body. His mind blanked and his eyes widened on the fixed focus of his vision.

Sakura’s muddled eyes blinked close, a few escapee tears slipping down her face unbidden.

Jonathan thinks he's never experienced a loss this great - and just the _thought_ of what is to happen next makes his insides _sear_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it too dramatic? Haha, sorry.
> 
> But yeah, things are picking up from here. I apologize if it seems cheesy so far, things will become more clear as the story progresses.
> 
> Update schedule is changing to twice a week. That way I have some lee way in when I post as I have both this and my other story _Chance_ to juggle between.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	9. No Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It would start quick, _Luke had said in the car, eyes haunted and terrified._ And it doesn't stop.

“Kill me,” she whimpered, grey eyes eerily blank, but glassy with unshed tears. Her countenance was carefully wiped clear, resting on an indifferent, straight expression; it was almost worse than a rightfully terrified one would have been. “You have to kill me bef-"

“No,” Luke snapped, a firm and harsh tone that wasn't allowed to waver.

“Kill you?” Jonathan rasped, voice raw and _definitely_ wavering.

“I am _bit_ ,” Sakura hissed, eyes narrowed in barely contained furry, “I am _infected_. I need to be put down; I could hurt you, kill you, infect yo-"

“You aren't some fucking animal!” Jonathan yelled, voice cracking half way through, “We can't just ‘ _put you down_ ’!”

Sakura pursed her lips, pressing them together so tightly they turned white. “Y-you're right. This is too much to ask of you two.”

Luke tensed, but Jonathan was barely focusing anymore - feeling light headed and sick to the stomach in every way possible.

“I’ll do it myself.”

Jonathan froze, but Luke was stepping forward, “Like hell you are.”

“Can’t you fucking see that I’m _infected_ -"

“Would you look at yourself?” Luke murmured, “You aren’t even going through the symptoms.”

They paused.

And Luke was right.

Jonathan blinked and watched Sakura glance down at herself, most likely in the process of self evaluation.

Jonathan wouldn't exactly know, except for the small clips of the radio he heard of reported mass symptoms of hysteria and vomiting - some cases of hysteria so bad the person would start allegedly tearing at the soft tissue of their arms and legs; sometimes the abdomen.

_It would start quick_ , Luke had said in the car, eyes haunted and terrified. _And it doesn't stop_.

Sakura peered back up at them with a vulnerability in her eyes that made Jonathan's already weak knees almost buckle underneath him.

“You are fine,” Luke said firmly, and then repeated it; for himself or for Jonathan and Sakura, they wouldn't know. Maybe Luke himself wouldn’t even know either, “You are fine.”

Sakura swallowed thickly, “But-"

“ _You are fine_ ,” he insisted. “You are not showing any signs of turning. If it was to happen, it would have already done so.”

Or it was delayed, but no one mentions that yet as the silence filled the spaces between them.

Moments later and Sakura took a deep breath, “You need to promise me something. Both of you.”

They hesitated, but Jonathan spoke up this time, “Promise what?”

“If I am to stay… you need to promise me that at the first sign of turing you’ll warn me; or if in dire straights, _make sure I am taken care of_. Promise me to put your safety above your comfort and wistfulness. Above me.”

Luke nodded, “I promise,” he muttered, voice reluctant and melancholy.

They looked to Jonathan then who fretted and nervously went over the implications of this promise. To kill, to _put down_ another human being turned rabid - but not just any human being, _his friend_.

He swallowed down the bile rising up his throat, “I promise,” he whispered, to his horror and Sakura’s relief.

She didn’t move, and neither did Luke until Sakura finally said they should stay clear of her for a while just in case.

They complied and somehow went back to maneuvering and working around her as if nothing happened. It was disheartening, but almost necessary as Luke and Jonathan ignored that the very nature of their life changed in the blink of an eye. Ignored the fact that things were now different.

Yesterday they laughed at the sound their wet shoes as they squelched and squeaked, and now today they just about lost a friend.

She was now a potentially loaded bomb; a dormant one ready to explode at any moment's notice.

She was a weapon locked and ready to trigger.

Sakura was a human set to self destruct; to rot from the inside out; to vomit her guts out; to tear and rip the delicate skin of her arms and stomach…

Set to eat and shred the remains of another human victim. Her prey.

It was only a matter of pressing the right button to make the newly encoded lifestyle floating in her veins come alive.

Jonathan just about threw up his guts himself. He violently shook away his disgusting thoughts instead; quickly going to Luke to lock his hand around the man’s wrist in a silent plead for help.

Luke paused to look at him before pulling him into an embrace that just about squished the air from his lungs.

“Stop thinking so much,” he murmured.

“It won't stop.”

Luke ran a hand through the loose hair on the back of Jonathan's head, “Just think about the warm covers of your bed, of safety and an abundance of random ass shades of blue - of your room, and the video games you like." Luke said softly, fingers tugging out a knot in brunette hair, “Think of the sound of Tyler's voice, Daithi, Ohm… Evan. Your friends.”

Luke smiled, “It's not the end of the world,” he snorted at himself, “Well,” he corrected, “This little moment doesn't end our world, okay? It's just a small set back and then you, me, Sakura; we’ll be farming up our own fucking carrots and cabbage soon enough.”

Jonathan sucked in a shaky breath, nodding his head as if to help reinforce Luke's words. “Yeah,” he agreed, “Yeah, we will.”

Luke grinned, “Good, now grab your shit, we need to get moving,” he glanced to Sakura who was curled up next a tree a decent distance away.

She met his gaze, obviously having heard him. She looked reluctant to part from her distance and tree, but stood to her feet anyway.

They checked their surroundings with a cursory glance and then set forth.

Sakura kept two feet between her and them, stiff in her walking and paranoid in her continued checks of the surrounding environment.

The atmosphere was tense and suffocating; a sharp contrast of the previous friendly relationship between them.

No words were spoken, even as they unpacked for a nights rest - Sakura immediately going to bed.

No words were spoken because they all knew she wouldn’t take night shifts any longer with the looming threat that flowed in her blood.

No words were spoken to make the night seem less lonely.

And no words were spoken to comfort the ache in their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


	10. Exception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _She was fine._
> 
> _Sakura was an exception._
> 
> _She is the_ good luck.

“Hey,” Luke said, breaking up the cold silence between them. The past week was a mixture of emotional breakdown and anxious paranoia.

“Hey,” Jonathan muttered. His stomach grumbled, but he had no appetite. His mouth was dry and his feet were blistered and sore.

Sakura stayed quiet, eyes unfocused as she walked arms length away next to Jonathan. Her contemplative countenance piqued his curiosity, but also terrified him with the unknown.

Jonathan is ashamed to admit to himself he was scared of his friend.

Not Sakura herself, but what she could become.

In the worst of his paranoid moments, he finds himself watching her, noting all her movements, watching the way her own grey orbs observed Luke or even himself when she thought they weren't looking.

It’s like he’s anticipating her change.

He’s anticipating her to take a chunk out of his skin when he’s not looking.

Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat when Luke placed a hand on his shoulder. He almost jumps out of his skin at the sudden unexpected contact, but managed to hold back a surely embarrassing yelp.

“Stop thinking,” Luke breathed into his ear. “Everything's fine.”

“I know.”

“So stop thinking.”

Jonathan nodded slowly, eyes landing on Sakura as she continued ahead, Luke having paused them in their stroll.

“I hope she’s okay,” Luke continued, “She’s closed herself off, hasn't said a word.”

Jonathan felt guilt stab him in the gut, “I don't know what to say.”

“Nothing's changed, Del,” Luke said, “Just go about like before. You guys keep tiptoeing around one another and it's not necessary.”

“ _Nothing's changed_?” Jonathan hissed lowly, “Do you even hear yourself?”

It's not like Luke hasn't said a word to her over the past week either.

“Dwelling on it isn't going to change anything, Del,” Luke growled back angrily. “It's only managed to make us miserable so far.”

“You haven't been talking to her either!”

Luke snorted, “I haven't been ignoring her presence and avoiding her like the plague, either.”

What?

He glanced to Sakura who has finally noticed them stalling behind and stopped next to a tree for rest herself.

Avoiding her?

Him?

This whole time Sakura has kept the distance between them, but wait… she never really distanced from Luke that much though.

Was Jonathan the one who was pushed himself away from her this whole time?

His heart suddenly ached as he watched the way she stared at her feet the whole time she waited for them.

Oh god, what was she thinking? Did she think Jonathan hated her now? Didn't trust her anymore?

Jonathan glanced to Luke; here they were whispering to each other out of earshot, what the hell must she be thinking _now_?

Was she expecting them to leave her by herself now? Was she waiting for them to tell her off?

His eyes water and his heart twists.

“I’m such a bad friend,” Jonathan rasped out. Luke looked alarmed before his face fell into a sad, but understanding smile.

“We’re never perfect, Delirious,” Luke said solemnly, “We just try to be. Got to do our best.”

“But-”

“We have a long ways still,” Luke interrupted, “We’ve got loads of time to catch up with each other again.”

“When the fuck did you turn into such a goddamn optimist?” Jonathan muttered.

“When you turned into a progressively worse version of the pessimist you usually are,” Luke quipped as he flashed Jonathan a grin.

Jonathan blinked.

“Hey, Sakura,” Luke called over to her, and she immediately looked up from her feet to them with wide eyes, “You hungry? Come over and eat with us for a little break. Del’s stomach over here sounds like it’s dying.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t let him fool you,” Luke said.

Jonathan huffed as he watched Sakura furrow her eyebrows at them before slowly walking back.

“It’s been a long day,” Luke said softly with gentle brown orbs.

Jonathan sighed, meeting Sakura’s gaze without preamble. He tried to portray a smile in his eyes, but she only glanced away.

Guess she _was_ just as scared. Scared of them, scared of them turning her away.

Jonathan swallowed another lump in his throat.

They have a short break before walking once more. Luke and Jonathan stand on either side of her this time around.

“We’re closing in around Oklahoma City,” Luke murmured. “It’s only about a few days out.”

Jonathan didn’t know how to feel about it.

Another week passed, they had skirted around Oklahoma City, and were now getting nearer to the Texas border.

“Where should we go?” Jonathan asked.

“Well, we shouldn’t stay deep into the Tornado Alley,” Luke commented. “Maybe closer to California? Cut through Texas?”

Jonathan shrugged, glancing to Sakura who still made an effort to keep a distance, but was standing closer than a week previous.

She frowned, “I wouldn’t know. If you feel that’s appropriate, then let’s go with that.”

Luke blinked before grinning wide, “Alright then. Del?”

“I agree with Sakura,” he said. “I got nothing to add.”

“Awesome, let’s get moving.”

They complied easily.

Another week forward, they found themselves a short ways from the Texas city, Amarillo.

Jonathan has always felt things were way too easy, and felt a bit of anxiety for something to happen.

The anxiety was stifling, but Sakura has slowly integrated herself back into the group and that was a good thing. It’s been a few weeks since she was bitten and there were no indications of her changing or getting sickening symptoms. She was fine.

Sakura was an exception.

She is the _good luck_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I haven't forgotten, just been trying to piece together my life and working more on _Chance_ because my updates are longer for that one.
> 
> Things will be picking up after this (and by that, I mean more introductions will be added).
> 
> This story really has no logic to it (there goes my _Star Trek_ obsession again...) - it's literally just me spewing words onto a document. It's less action and more friendship based. Maybe that will change as the story goes, but I just realized how lacking in detail and words this is.
> 
> Thank you for reading,  
> ~Sakura


End file.
